In a fresh development, the Gujarat government has decided to go for a curtailed vaccination drive from May 1, with the supply of vaccines being a major constraint. With just 3 lakh doses of COVID vaccine likely to arrive in the state on Friday evening, the state government has decided to start the vaccination for...

After the Serum Institute of India reduced the price of Covishield, the maker of Covaxin—Bharat Biotech—has followed suit. Bharat Biotech on Thursday reduced the price of its COVID-19 vaccine for state governments from Rs 600 to Rs 400. However, the price of Covaxin for private hospitals remains unchanged at Rs 1,200 per shot. In a...

Pune-based Serum Institute of India that manufactures ‘Covishield’—a jab against COVID-19 developed jointly by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford—has announced that it will charge Rs 300 from the state government for each shot. Notably, the announcement comes a few days after Serum Institute chief Adar Poonawalla revealed that the shot will cost Rs 400...

In a development that could further slow down the already slow vaccination drive in India, the US has refused to lift the ban on the export of raw materials required for the manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines in India and pharmaceutical companies across the world. The US government has said that the vaccination drive in the...

US-based pharmaceutical major Pfizer has offered to supply its COVID-19 vaccine to the Indian government at a ‘not-for-profit’ rate. It was revealed by a company spokesperson on Thursday. The spokesperson, in a statement, said, “For India, Pfizer has offered a not-for-profit price for its vaccine for the government immunisation programme. We continue to be in...

Madhya Pradesh has become the third BJP-ruled state in the country that announced free COVID-19 vaccination for all adults above the age of 18 from May 1. A decision in this regard has been taken during a Cabinet meeting headed by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is facing flak for the rickety health infrastructure...

The Congress has hit out at the Narendra Modi government for forcing the state governments to buy Covishield manufactured by the Serum Institute of India at Rs 400 per shot whereas the Centre will continue to buy it for Rs 150 per jab. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has criticised the Union government saying that the...

The Serum Institute of India has announced that it will provide its COVID-19 vaccine ‘Covishield’ to state governments at a price of Rs 400 per shot, whereas the price will be Rs 600 for private hospitals. The Central government will continue to get the vaccine at Rs 150 per shot. Justifying its price, Serum Institute...

In a major move, the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has decided to provide free COVID-19 vaccine to all above 18 years from next month onwards. The state government is going to utilise its own resources for this purpose—a decision that was taken in the Cabinet meeting headed by the CM. In an official statement,...

Medical devices and pharmaceuticals major Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has approached the Indian drug regulator for approval to conduct phase 3 clinical trials and import licence of its single-shot COVID-19 vaccine. It has made an application in this regard before the Indian regulator on Monday. The US-based multinational has requested the Central Drugs Standard Control...

In a major move, the Union government on Monday announced that people above the age of 18 will be eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine from May 1. The announcement is part of the liberalised and accelerated phase 3 strategy of COVID-19 vaccination that will come into effect on May 1. Notably, the announcement by...

Pune-based Serum Institute of India’s CEO Adar Poonawalla has urged US President Joe Biden to lift the embargo on raw material exports that are required for the manufacturing of vaccines. Notably, the Serum Institute is manufacturing the jab ‘Covishield’ jointly developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. Notably, Covishield is one of the most...